You Can’t Coach Chaos: Why Clear Expectations Come First
In The Employee Engagement Lie, I argued that leaders must stop chasing engagement and start doing the things that actually build it. One of those things is to set clear expectations and priorities, because you can’t coach someone if they don’t know exactly what “done” looks like.
Managers are told to coach their teams to success.
“But here’s the problem: you can’t coach chaos.
If expectations aren’t clear, if priorities shift by the week, and if deliverables are more vibe than verifiable, there’s nothing to coach.”
No baseline. No shared reality. Just confusion masquerading as autonomy and frustration pretending to be empowerment.
So what do most managers do? They compensate. They try harder to inspire, to motivate, to “engage” people who are fundamentally operating in a fog. And when that doesn’t work, they personalize the failure. They start to believe the engagement problem is theirs to solve.
It’s not.
Your job as a leader is to create order from the chaos, to define success so clearly that your team knows when they’re winning and when they’re not. That starts with a three-layer clarity system.
Layer 1: Expectations for how we work
A written, reviewed process for our standard ways of working.
Not just “how we do things” in abstract terms, but a visible method everyone has been taught, discussed, and reviewed with their leader.
This becomes the reference point for coaching; you can’t improve or correct if there’s no shared baseline.
Layer 2: Expectations for what we deliver
Clearly defined outcomes for each piece of work, explicitly tied to how they will measurably improve customer satisfaction, team member satisfaction, and profitability (the three pillars).
Written in crystal clear language that paints the same mental picture for everyone about what “done” looks like.
“If it’s not written, it will inevitably degrade into the telephone game, and what was obvious on Monday is distorted by Friday.”
This also becomes a reference point for coaching, ensuring alignment on whether the delivered outcome matches the intended result.
Layer 3: Expectations for the plan to get there
A written, measurable plan that sequences the work, identifies dependencies, and includes checkpoints.
The plan is developed in conjunction with the subject matter experts, they define the how, and the leader challenges the how until they both agree on the steps to success. This makes the plan a true co-creation, balancing expertise with leadership oversight.
Planning happens at two levels, and both are critical:
Project terms: A comprehensive, structured plan for a larger initiative, often with many tasks, milestones, and dependencies. This is documented in a formal project plan.
Operational terms: Shorter-range plans created in regular team meetings to align on what will be completed by the end of the day or week. These are documented in meeting notes and a task log.
In both cases, the steps are always documented so they can be reviewed at regular intervals, keeping the team focused and enabling course corrections before problems escalate.
It also makes course correction a shared process rather than an emotional one, because you’re coaching against an agreed plan, not a vague idea.
This also becomes a reference point for coaching, allowing leaders to assess execution against the agreed steps and timing.
Why This Matters
“When you build all three layers, “expectations” stop being a throwaway term. They become a system you can inspect, coach, and keep people accountable to without drama.”
Without them, coaching is guesswork, a debate about opinions instead of a conversation about execution. With them, coaching becomes precise, fair, and effective.
Your Next Move: Audit your team’s clarity in all three layers. Are your ways of working documented? Are your outcomes written and measurable? Do you have a current, visible plan? Pick the weakest layer and strengthen it this week.
Series note: This is the first of four follow-up articles to The Employee Engagement Lie, each one breaking down the practical steps for what to do instead of chasing engagement. If you haven’t read it yet, start there, then come back and use this three-layer clarity system as your baseline for coaching.
